Ways to Organize Your Move

The other day I wrote all about making your apartment feel like home, but there will come a time when you’re just fed up and won’t want your neighbors that close. And when that time does come, you’ll have to be organized if you want your move out to go seamlessly.

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In the past five years, our family has moved four times. We’re nomads, what can I say? Along the way, I’ve picked up a few tricks to make our moves easier. Tips that anyone can do to simply and streamline their move out process.

Organize Your Move Out

The Purge

No, not like that, you won’t be scaring the daylights out of anyone or barricading yourselves in your house. You’ll be getting rid of all the junk you’ve accumulated since your last move. And let me bet, there’s a lot.

Grab three boxes, label one ‘Trash,’ another ‘Sell,’ and the final ‘Donate.’ You could always use a trash bag for the ‘Trash’ option, but those bags end up being frustrating since they won’t stay open, so I’d opt for a box.

Tackle each room one at a time. Imagine all of your current belongings in your new place. Where will they go? How will they fit? Be ruthless if you have to.

And, as the boxes get full, get them out of your house. If you take the time to sort through everything and then let it linger, you’re going to find yourself putting it back with the masses and not purging it after all.

Extra Tips

Start this process at least two trash days before your move, that way your curb isn’t overflowing when you leave.

Try selling your items on Facebook Marketplace. Our family has had much more success on there than Craigslist and you can even find out a little more about the person before you meet them for the sale. You can also deny a sale to someone that creeps you out.

If you have a lot to donate, call around – many nonprofit organizations are willing to come pick up items in bulk. But make sure you’re around when they get it, otherwise they may pick through and leave everything in shambles in your driveway (yes, this happened to us).

Pack for Vacay

Ok, so a move is anything but a vacation, but you need to grab a suitcase and pack up anything you might need for the next week. Moving is a process and can take a while. You don’t want to pack something important on Tuesday they you need on Thursday. Then you’ll be rummaging through boxes and disorganizing everything you’ve already tackled.

So before anything gets packed up to move, pack a suitcase of necessities:

Clothes for the week, for each family member (extras for accidental messes from the kiddos)

Toiletries (including toilet paper and medicines)

Electronics (chargers of all types)

Toys (special one’s that need to be kept track of)

Pack the House

In order to pack your house for the move out, you’re going to need some supplies.

Boxes

Start by calling small retailers and asking their managers to hold back empty boxes from their next shipment for you. I’ve had loads of luck with Dress Barn for this. They break down and fold the boxes nicely and always have them waiting for me when I arrive. Plus, they’re cleaner than getting the boxes from a grocery store and they are super durable!

Other Supplies

Purchase other supplies like packing tape and bubble wrap from your local dollar stores. Grab a couple different colors of Duct Tape, too, to use for color coordinating your boxes. It will simplify things for the movers and help with unpacking.

Keep your clothes on the hangers! Everyone always takes them off, only to rehang them at their new place. Don’t do that! Pick up some large trash bags at that same dollar store, poke a hole in the bottom and fish a couple dozen hangers through it. Then, the bag will cover your clothes and keep them clean during the move. If your clothes are too long and hang out the bottom, just use a second bag to catch it all.

Pack One Room at a Time

Just like when you purged the rooms, pack the house one room at a time. You’ll feel much more accomplished as you start finishing rooms. Just make sure to leave your child’s room for last. They need to feel safe in their home and be occupied with their belongings so you can get other things done.

Order Pizza

Once you’ve got the kitchen packed, you’re not going to want anyone setting foot in their again. You’ll just have to clean it all over again and no one wants to go digging for dish soap and sponges to wash dishes.

So, once it’s all packed, order in or eat out. You could also pick up some disposable silverware and paper plates while you’re at the dollar store. No one wants to move dirty dishes; yuck!

Hire Movers

Now, being a military family, I’m all too familiar with the movers that come in and pack everything for you. It’s horrible. I actually watched some strange guy box up my underwear.

If you’re not in the military and can pack your own belongings, do it. You’ll be that much more organized, too.

Professionals

But, you should still hire movers. They’ll do all the heavy lifting and get the boxes and furniture out of your house while you finish up last minute details about the move.

Make sure you’ve given yourself plenty of time to finish packing before the movers arrive, and then add two hours, because you never know. But let them do the hard work. No need to offer to help, seriously, just don’t forget their tip. And, if you’ve hired a good crew, they’ll be experts at packing a truck efficiently.

Friends

Now, if you’re saving a buck on your move and recruiting friends to help with the heavy lifting, definitely help. You’ll want to lead the show, actually. You don’t want to be that friend that just stands and points.

Plus, you’re going to want to offer up treats and drinks to your friends. Think donuts or pizza.

Say Goodbye

It’s tradition in our family to take a family photo in front of our houses or apartments before moving out. Why we don’t take it when we move in, I’ll never know, but we always manage to take one before we leave. It’s a nice little reminder to see how far we’ve come and where we were in our lives when things changed.

You Tell Me

What are some tips and tricks you implement when moving out? Tell me in the comments.

2 thoughts on “Ways to Organize Your Move”

These are excellent tips. Moving can be stressful, but you’ve broken it down perfectly to help reduce that stress and make the whole process easier. I’ve moved about 12 times so far and most of those were filled with chaos. Our family hopes to move this year and I am excited for it. We have already begun to purge our stuff so we don’t bring anything unnecessary with us.